1. Field
The present application relates to conducting polymer materials and methods for their preparation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conducting polymers such as polyacetylene, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene and their derivatives have been studied extensively due to the wide promising applications. However, applications of these conducting polymers can be limited by their insolubility in many commonly used solvents and poor processability. These conducting polymers can be blended with an insulating polymer matrix exhibiting the desired mechanical properties such as polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl carbazole, poly(vinyl alcohol), polysilicone, and polycarbonate. However, such composites are easy for phase separation due to poor compatibility. Substituted groups such as alkyloxy group or long-chain alkyl group can be introduced into aniline to increase solubility and/or processability of the polymers, but conductivity of the resulting products decreases significantly with moderate conductivities (10−2-10−4 S/cm) and the preparation methods can be complicated. There is a need for processable conducting polymers that can be made using simple preparation procedures.